


The Diamond

by SteampunkLadybird



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of The Brave Tangled Dragons - Fandom, Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M, Multi, Other, Pirate!AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-22 01:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3709762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteampunkLadybird/pseuds/SteampunkLadybird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em> "Her sails are red as a sailor's blood, Her prow is one of gold, She's manned by those too fast to be seen, She's faster than any by tenfold." </em>
</p><p> </p><p>The <em> Diamond </em> is a Pirate Ship. Not just any ship though. It's no exaggeration that she's the fastest ship of the Western Seas and with one of the most notorious crews in history. </p><p>Notorious for many reasons: they only steal from the rich, they never show themselves, and they're very good at staying out of trouble. But when the crew of the <em> Diamond </em> find themselves entangled in a web of deceit stretching across the Western Seas, they take it upon themselves to find out what's going on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Berk is, according to most in the Western Seas, just an unassuming island just south of the Barbaric Archipelago. To them, it does not boast much more than drizzly weather systems, sheep, and the odd dragon attack.

In this unassuming settlement, there are only really four points of interest: the Great Hall; the sheer ratio of pubs to people; the fact that everything on the island is newly-built, despite the island having been settled for generations; and Gobber's smithy.

Gobber's smithy is the place where anyone and everyone from miles around will come for the finest metalworking north of Corona. It is, like most of the buildings on Berk, squat and sturdy, built to withstand the harsh winter storms. It is almost always manned by Gobber the Belch, as loud and Berkian as one could be, and his skinny, ever-sarcastic apprentice Hiccup.

It all seems like a very ordinary way to start a story: the island where nothing seems to happen. And perhaps that was the whole catalyst.

 

~~~

It was past sundown, and Hiccup was finally almost finishing his shift. He yawned as he stoked the forge in the back of the smithy. The fire promptly barfed up a heap of ashes, enveloping Hiccup in a smoky cloud of greyness. He sneezed.

"Alright there son? I'm off to the pub. You can lock up once you're done." The smoke-stained voice of Hiccup's mentor Gobber drifted from the front of the shop.

Hiccup wheezed out a "sure" in reply, eyes stinging from the heat and ashes of the forge.

Gobber seemed to be the only person on Berk who actually appreciated Hiccup. What he lacked in manners and smoothness, he made up in his 'on-the-job' teaching attitude to Hiccup's apprenticeship. He was certainly a lot more of a father figure than Hiccup's own dad. Hiccup would often moan to Gobber, the only person on Berk who actually stuck around to talk to him, about his dad's "constantly disappointed scowl", (to which Gobber would always just laugh and tell Hiccup to get on whatever he was working on. The sentiment was appreciated though.)

A couple of minutes later, the fire had died out and Gobber was probably already on his second or third tankard of mead down at the Axe and Barrel, so Hiccup decided to pack away the remaining tools out, and lock up. After that, he wasn't really sure what to do. He'd had another argument with his dad this morning (more of a one-sided rant about Hiccup's ineptness at everything, as always) and he was getting cold feet at the prospect of returning home.

Walking out of the shop and though Berk's now-silent fish market, Hiccup then noticed a figure on the marina, studying the boats - old fishing boats and the odd trading clipper. It was in one of the faster looking clippers that the stranger seemed most interested.

Hiccup peered into the gloom at the approaching stranger. They had just stepped into a puddle of bright moonlight, so Hiccup could see him clearly for the first time. The stranger wore mismatched brown clothes - a long coat, some cut-off trousers, and a tattered shirt. He seemed to be aged around 20 – Hiccup's age, not that he looked it - but the most striking feature was his ice-white hair. Hiccup had never seen anyone on Berk with hair that bright before.

Once off the marina, the stranger made for the main square, where a tavern's lamplight glinted invitingly. Hiccup stayed in the shadows until the stranger was inside, then he followed suit.

Nearing the wonky doorway, Hiccup registered the sign over the tavern: a wooden Nadder head in relief on a weathered board that said The Dragon's Head Inn. It had always seemed apt that dragons were in everything Berk did: Berk had had monthly dragon raids since before even Hiccup's great-grandfather was around.

Hiccup entered the Dragon's Head and stood by the bar, fishing in his pocket for a few coins.

"Can I help?" The bartender grunted.

"One pint of mead please." Hiccup placed four Scythes on the bar.

"On the tab?" Asked the bartender grumpily, evidently not noticing the pile of cash Hiccup pushed towards him. Ignorant, thought Hiccup, like all of them.

"No thanks." Hiccup gestured to the Scythes.

The tankard was dutifully plonked on the bar, and the money was scooped up, and Hiccup was dismissed like he'd never even existed.

Now Hiccup just had to find the stranger from the marina.

 

~~~

Jack found a seat by the fire just as the tavern door clanged shut again. He looked up to see a skinny teen in a sooty shirt walk in, making for the bar.

Tuning out the outside world, Jack slumped further back in the chair. It was softer than expected from its cracked leather upholstery: the leather looked reptilian and the colour was too outlandish to have come cheap. Setting down his mead, Jack brought out a crumpled map from his back pocket, and a needle and thread. In an attempt to get the thread through the eye, Jack's tongue came out in concentration.

"Need a hand?" It was the kid from the bar.

"Yeah, it always takes me an age."

The kid set down his mug, then took the needle and thread from Jack. While he was occupied, Jack checked out the stranger. At first glance the boy had seemed as unassuming and generic as the rest of Berk's inhabitants, but there was something Jack couldn't pin down in the boy's expression. He had shaggy brown hair that was flecked with soot, and calloused but delicate hands.

"What are you using it for?" The question snapped Jack out of his reverie, and he answered a little too quickly without really thinking.

"Dowsing."

"What for?"

 _Backtrack, Jack. You’ve only known this kid for 2 minutes._ Taking a breath, Jack adopted a sly secretive grin. "I can't tell you if we aren't properly acquainted."

The boy set down the now-threaded needle (how had he done it so quickly?), and extended a hand - Jack noticed he was left-handed. "My name's Hiccup."

Jack tried hard not to laugh as he shook Hiccup's hand. "Great name."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I know. Apparently hideous names are supposed to ward off gnomes and trolls - as if our charming Berkian demeanour wouldn't do that."

This forced Jack to laugh out loud. He hadn't done that for a while.

"So, what about you? We can't be acquainted if I don't know your name." _Smooth move, kid._

"My name... is Jack Frost." _And I really shouldn’t be telling you all this,_ Jack chastised himself.

"Like the Pirate?"

"Exactly him." Jack smirked. _Seriously Frost, what are you getting yourself into?_

Hiccup's face lit up. "Oh my Gods, I'm sitting here talking to an actual Pirate?!"

"Keep it down would you?" Jack whispered. "I've been trying to pass myself off as a merchant - keeps up my rep."

Hiccup nodded. "I know all about reputations. Seconds to build, seconds to destroy, or something like that." He finished vaguely. Jack was liking this guy. "Anyway, you still haven't told me what you're dowsing for."

Hiccup was smart, Jack had to admit. Usually by now, whoever Jack was talking to would have forgotten or lost interest in the offending topic.

"I'm dowsing for the _Diamond_." The needle was still swinging aimlessly around Berk. On the mention of the _Diamond_ , however, it swung further around in a circle, as if widening its scope for searching.

"Which diamond?" Hiccup asked, clueless. Finally Jack had the upper hand.

Jack laughed again. "Surely you've heard of her! The fastest ship of the Western Seas, manned by those too fast to be seen? No?! Kraken's Underpants, what remote cave have you been living in?"

Hiccup leaned forward, taking a sip out of his mead. "Tell me more about her."

Jack smiled conspiratorially. "There's a poem about the Diamond actually." He cleared his throat. " _Her sails are red as a sailor's blood, Her prow is one of gold, She's manned by those too fast to be seen, She's faster than any by tenfold._ If anyone were to captain her, then they'd be rulers of all the oceans."

Hiccup sat back, entranced. Neither were paying attention to it, but the needle, still dangling from Jack's loose grasp, was still circling the map. Suddenly jerking out of Jack's grasp, it embedded itself off the coast of a small island.

Jack whooped loudly with glee.

The idle chatter of the pub stopped for a second, then resumed as though nothing had happened.

Jack looked ecstatically at Hiccup, and then stuffed the map and needle back in his pocket. "That's the clearest I've had in weeks! She's in Corona! Let's go!" Jack didn't think for a second that Hiccup might not be interested, but then again, neither did Hiccup. This was the most adventurous his life had ever been.

"Awesome! Which one's your ship?"

Jack stopped dead in his tracks, which could have been hilarious considering he was halfway through stepping over the low table, and knocked over his mead. He was just about to answer when a loud voice came from the front of the tavern.

"JACK FROST!"

"There's a title in there somewhere you know," Jack grumbled as he finished stepping over the table. "Hiccup I hope you have some way of getting us out of here."

Hiccup glanced around before muttering: "I'll have you know, I do."

The two of them set off running out of the back of the pub, knocking over various baskets of fresh fish. En route, Hiccup grabbed one of these baskets and slung it over his back.

"What's that for?" Jack whispered.

"Transport needs fuel, doesn't it?" Hiccup answered cryptically.

Now even more cries of "FROST!" filled the air. It seemed that the whole town was now aware of Jack's pirate status. Hiccup reached another square, and then veered away from the marina.

"Where are you going? The marina's that way!" Jack gesticulated wildly backwards.

Hiccup grinned. "Who said anything about taking a boat?" The tables had turned again on who was leading the other. It certainly made for an interesting dynamic with a stranger.

"Are you sure you're thinking this through?"

"I try not to think - it interferes with being crazy." They were still running, and had reached the edge of the town. The moon was now directly overhead, lighting a worn path through ferns and pine trees. Hiccup led the way through the path, Jack tailing him as close as he could.

After what seemed like forever, when the cries of the town were far behind, Hiccup slowed. Jack almost crashed straight into him. They had reached a gap in the rocks, where an old Viking shield was wedged between two of them. Hiccup chucked the sack of fish over the shield, the crept under it himself. Jack followed.

 

~~~

Hiccup looked around the familiar cove for his best friend. "Hey Toothless, I brought early breakfast! I hope you're hungry, we've got a long way to -" He was cut short by a black blur and a sudden girlish scream from behind him.

Hiccup turned sharply. "Jack, what the -?"

Jack was cowering behind a rock while Toothless, inquisitive reptile that he was, inspected him, sniffing at him like a dog would.

"Hiccup - what - is - that?" Jack's breathing was laboured in panic. He was backed up against a large boulder, wincing at Toothless' early-morning breath.

Hiccup smiled, relaxing. "This is our ticket out of here of course. Toothless, back - give Jack some breathing space." Toothless dropped back onto his haunches, then crawled away towards the basket of fish. Jack flopped forwards - he had fainted.

Hiccup allowed himself a small smirk while staring at Jack's unconscious form. _Wuss_.

A snuffling behind him told Hiccup that Toothless had enjoyed his meal, and soon the Night Fury was nuzzling around for more. High in the sky, the full moon glowed, lighting the cove in a harsh hue as muffled shouts came from the forest around it. This was Hiccup's cue to leave Berk.

"Okay bud, let's get going." No time for sentiments, Hiccup grabbed Jack's midriff and hoisted him up in a fireman's lift, grunting.

Toothless tried to sniff at the unconscious Jack, following Hiccup as he tried putting Jack in the saddle. "Stay still, would you?"

Eventually Toothless complied and Hiccup managed to get Jack onto Toothless' back without him slipping off.

High in the sky, the full moon glowed, lighting the cove in a harsh hue as muffled shouts came from the forest around it. This was Hiccup's cue to leave Berk. With a shared nudge between dragon and rider, Toothless was airborne, and so they set off southwards towards Corona.


	2. Chapter 2

_"White capped waves crash in on the bay, deep blue night on the land; distant lights blur as the ships go out, we're left here alone on the sand"_

A feminine voice floated from the Crows' Nest on the _Diamond_. She was scanning the coastline while the rest of her crew were scattered around the ship, preparing to leave Corona. No sign of any guards yet.

A redhead dressed in an overlong blue shirt and scuffed boots yelled up from the deck, her curls blowing in the eastern summer breeze. The blonde seemed not to have heard as she carried on singing, her long hair billowing around the mast.

_"But I, oh I can see in your eyes, the magic this place brings to you – And I, oh I, can feel in your heart –"_

Merida called again. "Rapunzel! Get your behind down here now before I shoot you down with my arrows!"

"All right! I'm coming!"

She continued to hum the song as she looped her hair around the gilded mast and abseiled down. She always enjoyed doing that, although now was perhaps not the time to dwell in fantasies if the Captain needed her.

"What's the problem, Merida?"

Merida had her eyes shielded against the glare of the sun, and was watching the sky uneasily. Cursing herself for missing whatever Merida was seeing, Rapunzel copied the move, and followed Merida's gaze. A black thing was swooping around in the sky, just level with the distant towers of Corona's palace. From this distance, it was barely discernible as anything other than a distant seabird, but Merida seemed to have other ideas.

"Is it a bird?" asked Rapunzel uncertainly.

"Dunno. Astrid, take a look at this!" Merida yelled over her shoulder at a third girl, who had been securing some cargo at the rear of the ship.

Running a hand through her bangs, Astrid came over to the two other girls, grabbed the telescope from around her waist, and gazed into the brilliantly azure sky herself. Her stormy grey eyes flickered warily. "That's no bird, Blondie. That's... that's a dragon."

 

~~~

"I don't like flyiiiIIIINNNGG!!" Jack was still screaming shrilly after 30 minutes of waking. He'd woken up with black _things_ flapping on each side of him and air was hitting him in the face, and he would dearly have liked to get his feet back on a boat - heck, he'd even take solid ground as an alternative.

"Well if you'd stop shrieking in my ear, I can concentrate on finding somewhere to land." Hiccup's grouchy voice came from the front of the dragon. Hiccup had had to fly on Toothless for perhaps nearly 7 hours straight, his legs must have been sore – Jack's certainly were.

"I think that's Corona down there." Jack steeled himself to point downward to a rounded coastline, where the morning sun glittered on terracotta roof tiles and gilded pathways. Then he had to shut his eyes tight to stop a burning wave of nausea.

"Thank the Gods." Hiccup muttered. He steered Toothless down closer to Corona's marina, Jack gripping on with all his might. Jack had to admit that it was a very awkward position, and one he never wanted to be in again.

Toothless swooped lower over the Golden Kingdom, scanning the marina for somewhere to land.

 

~~~

"A DRAGON?!" arose the collective shout.

A nod came from Astrid. There was a pause as she zoomed in on the now-identified flying object." Gods... that's a Night Fury! And it has..." she adjusted the telescope. "Is someone riding it?"

"What?" Merida's mouth was agape. She snatched the telescope from Astrid and continued to track the dragon's movements.

Just then, a young man with an unruly mane of brown hair poked his head up on deck. "What's up folks? I thought we were leaving soon: y'know, Corona guard, false accusations, the normal shebang? Eep and I have finished packing."

"Change of plan." Merida said hastily. "As for what's up... Guy, have you ever seen a dragon having a rider on its back?"

"A dragon? Hang on, let me have a look." Guy's boots made heavy clomping sounds as he approached the other crewmembers.

Astrid checked behind her. "Have you left Eep to the navigation again?"

"Astrid, it'll be fine! We can always reset our course if necessary." Guy reassured her as Merida passed over the telescope. Trust Guy to be the optimist.

"Just last time someone said it'll be fine, we ended up almost shipwrecked at Skull's End."

Before either of them could get into a heated argument about the chances of getting shipwrecked again, Rapunzel shrieked and pointed to the sky. "LOOK! It's coming closer! I think it's going to land here!"

Sure enough, the Night Fury seemed to have gone into a dive directly towards the Diamond. The four of them on deck stared at it for a moment of apprehensive silence.

Merida was the first to unfreeze. "Well? Arm the catapult!"

"Are you insane? That thing's got Shot Limit 6!!" Astrid exclaimed. Rapunzel raised an eyebrow and mouthed a query to Guy, who shrugged.

"And if we get it down here, we can restrain it, can't we?" Merida countered, running towards the catapult at the front of the ship. Astrid rolled her eyes and followed, complaining about mutton-heads.

Merida meanwhile, had loaded the catapult and was aiming for the Night Fury. Astrid shouted: "STOP!" just as Merida fired into the sky.

 

~~~

Toothless had been scanning the coastline of Corona's island capital for a few minutes now, with no space to land without causing a fuss. Hiccup was about to suggest they made for the woods on the mainland, when Jack yelled: "Watch out!"

Some form of missile was headed straight for them.

Toothless tried to dodge the bola, but whoever had shot it had good aim - it ensnared the three of them, and they started to fall into oblivion.

 

~~~

The dragon and its two riders, tangled up in the bola, crashed painfully onto the Diamond's deck. There were grunts and cusses from both mouths, and the dragon seemed to be grating out ow, ow, as it struggled against the strings.

"That'll teach you to try dive-bombing MY ship!" Merida said indignantly, planting her boot firmly on the rear rider's abdomen without looking at their face.

"Who said anything about dive-bombing?" came a disgruntled retort from the rider. "We just wanted to land."

Merida knew that voice. They called him Ghost of the Winds, here one minute, gone the next. Her ex-first mate. To think that he would try taking over her ship. She let out a harsh laugh.

"Well if it ain't Jack Frost himself, deigning to come down from on high to fraternise with humble mortals."

Jack narrowed his eyes at her as he scrambled out of the bola. "You call yourself humble, do you, Red?" He spat. "That's hitting way above the mark. And here I was, thinking you'd missed me."

Merida verbally lashed out again, starting up a chain of insults between the two.

To diffuse the tension growing on the rest of the deck, Rapunzel diverted attention to herself by asking: "How did you get a dragon? I thought they were really rare!"

The other rider smiled sheepishly as he got himself disentangled. "He's mine, his name's Toothless."

Rapunzel's bright green eyes widened in curiosity as she looked the dragon over. He was still thrashing wildly. Taking tentative steps towards it, she held out her hands in a calming gesture. The rider looked on in interest as Toothless was calmed down by her relaxed stance. She started rubbing him gently, like he was a large, scaly cat. Toothless looked as though he was in heaven.

 

~~~

Hiccup looked on, smiling, remembering the way he had done that to Toothless as well. She was going to find the 'off button' soon.

Sure enough, the girl found that point, and Toothless dropped down, sound asleep, on the deck. She jumped back, surprised.

"Is that… normal? Did I damage him?"

Hiccup laughed. "No, that's normal."

This was when the other blonde grabbed the first's arm, hissing. A whispered dispute ensued, and with two separate arguments now going on, Hiccup was feeling awkward to say the least. Maybe he should fly off again. After all, he'd given Jack his ticket to freedom – _Hang on Hiccup, you can't go back now, not since everyone's seen you with a pirate_. Great, now all chances of living a normal, unassuming life were clear out of the window.

"An asset? How can you gab about assets when you yourself had been nothin' but a scunner for the last couple of months? I'm not buying it, Jack." The redhead's voice cut through Hiccup's musings. Hiccup glanced up from getting the last of the bola out from under Toothless' wing.

"Merida, I'm just saying that Hiccup and the dragon could be useful! Just imagine it, we would have another crew member, a quick getaway and insurance against anyone who dares come near us!" Well, Hiccup wouldn’t consider a dragon a good form of insurance.

Merida still didn’t look convinced. "I've got nothing against skinny wee lambs, but what else can he do?"

Hiccup made the bold (and frankly stupid, looking back at it) decision to engage with the she-bear that was the Captain. "Blacksmith, inventor, dragon tamer..." He listed. "And I'm not too bad at cartography either." (The majority of this, he later admitted, was lies and slander, but it did get an eyebrow raised approvingly.)

Merida seemed to have come to a conclusion. "Fine." She turned to address the crew. "The rider and the dragon stay." At this, the other argument ceased. An indignant glare was thrown Hiccup's way by the menacing-looking girl.

In the pause, Merida side-eyed Jack. "Apparently so does my first mate. Right, now we've got half of Corona's army huntin' for us so we've all got to move our arses!"

A flurry of activity took hold of the deck. Orders were shouted to raise the anchor, to bear northwest, and a whole host of other commands that sounded like a foreign language to Hiccup.

Merida caught his arm as she was on her way to the stern. "Can you make a diversion with you and your dragon? Give us a minute or so leeway?"

"Sure thing." Hiccup roused Toothless and readied him for a flight. Judging by the situation, the more time he could buy his new teammates, the better.

Hiccup eyed Corona's winding streets. A grin slid onto his face as a crazy, half-formed flight plan slipped into his mind. He'd catch up with the Diamond after he'd given the Corona Guard the slip.

A whoop left his mouth as he and Toothless soared into the air. A hundred or so eyes in Corona's market, including the Captain of the Guard, followed the dragon's twisting and turning dance skywards. Then – Toothless was off like a shot, darting through Corona's winding streets, wings whooshing over peoples' heads, winding higher and higher through the hilly citadel. They doubled back down the main road, back towards the marina and Hiccup had just enough time to glimpse the dumbfounded expressions on the faces of the Guard before they were being pursued through the streets with passion.

For the second time in 24 hours he was being chased for association with pirate activity, and, as crazy as it sounded, Hiccup was enjoying himself immensely. Hiccup and Toothless looped back over the Guard for one last time, and then they vanished into the sky.

 

~~~

The Diamond was not known as the fastest ship in the Western Seas for nothing, Merida mused as she regarded Corona's rapidly-shrinking coastline from the quarterdeck. She eyed the azure blue sky, searching for her newest crewmates. She had never had an encounter so close with a dragon before, and it was very different to the way Astrid had portrayed dragon encounters. Astrid was regarded as the dragon expert on board, since she had had some experience with them, but today had even rattled Astrid's normally steadfast demeanour.

Merida turned away from Corona and examined her ship. The Diamond was her pride and joy – her freedom venture away from any constraints. The Diamond really was a gorgeous ship: she had unmistakeable maroon sails, three masts, and spacious belowdecks which over time had been converted into creature-comfort abodes for her and her six (now eight, Merida reminded herself) crewmates.

Merida did have to wonder where they were going to house the dragon.

Speaking of the dragon, Hiccup had just landed in front of her. As he dismounted, Merida gave him a grateful smile. "Good job with the Corona Guard, usually they're the ones that give us the most grief if we're visiting."

"Oh, it was no problem," Hiccup responded breezily. "I guessed they weren’t used to dragons. Nor are you, I'll wager." He watched Merida's slightly guarded stance against the dragon. "I don't know what you’ve heard about dragons, but Toothless is a big softie once you get to know him."

The dragon – Toothless – snorted. He was most definitely not "toothless"; Merida had spotted some very sharp-looking pearly whites in that mouth.

"I'm sure we'll all get to know you soon though. Listen, did I even properly introduce the crew before I sent you skywards?" Merida felt sheepish. _Imagine that for a first impression!_ She reprimanded herself.

Hiccup gave out a small nervous laugh. "It's fine."

"Well, I can introduce you at lunch." Merida noticed the sudden perking up of the boy and his dragon at the mention of food. "One last question though: what does Toothless eat?"


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next few days, it seemed that Hiccup had been completely accepted as one of the crew. It sure made a nice change from being shunned like on Berk. Most mornings, they were woken up by Rapunzel's obsession with sunrises. Most of the day they spent discussing where to land or who to attack next, while showing Hiccup how to be a sailor. Every night he was accepted at the same table as the crew to eat, which to Hiccup was perhaps the nicest sentiment of them all.

Day three, he had settled into some sort of routine, and it was suggested that they finally trusted Hiccup around weapons. Astrid proceeded to yank her arm around Hiccup's. "Come on, I'll show you the Armoury."

Hiccup followed Astrid down the small flight of stairs to the berth. When he'd first seen belowdecks, he had been expecting to find dark, cramped living spaces down here, but the corridors were open and well-lit, and the walls were covered with murals in purples, blues and yellows. Astrid had smiled, letting her guard down for a split second as Hiccup marvelled at the artwork. "Rapunzel paints these. We run out of paint faster than we can commandeer it!"

This time, Astrid ran on ahead, beckoning. "The Armoury's down here!" She gestured to another flight of steps.

"This is the orlop – we use it to store our weapons. We've got swords, pistols... I think we've got gunpowder in one of those," Astrid gestured vaguely to a pile of barrels, "although they might just be preserves."

"You've got a lot of arrows as well." Hiccup remarked, pointing at several full quivers of arrows piled up on some shelves.

"Oh, those are Merida's. I'm more of a take-it-down-with-an-axe-and-then-lop-it's-head-off kind of girl."

Something déjà-vu-ish struck Hiccup. Someone had said those words before. He frowned. "Should I know you from somewhere?"

Astrid laughed uneasily. "I don't think so. I doubt I would forget you if we had once kidnapped you or something." She tried to skirt around the statement as much as possible, so Hiccup decided to drop the issue.

"So..." Astrid grasped around for something to say. "What's your favourite method of combat? Sword? Hammer? Frying pan?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"What? That's Rapunzel's preferred weapon at least."

Hiccup's eyebrow lowered, followed by an almost comical shoulder slump. "I - I don't know. Any time I get a chance with weapons, I usually muck the situation up even further."

"That's not very normal for a pirate."

"Uh, I'm not." Hiccup rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Not a pirate, I mean. Well, I am now, considering I'm on the Diamond, but -"

Astrid shot him a puzzled look. "Then how come you were hanging around with Frost then?"

"Uh, new adventure, no more sooty forge..." Hiccup trailed off.

"You obviously make weapons then, so you should be able to use one." She grabbed a sword off one of the racks and handed it hilt-first to Hiccup.

He held it at balance point, like a craftsman would. "Not bad workmanship, where did you find this- WHOA!"

Astrid without warning had drawn her own sword, and was pointing it at Hiccup. There was a playful challenge in her smirk.

"Do I...do I strike first?" He asked with unease.

Astrid's eyes glinted. "Go for it. Give it all you've got, Fishbone."

Hiccup lunged clumsily at her. Their blades met for a second before she twisted out of reach and struck back. Instinctively Hiccup tried to raise his blade to block the strike. It didn't really work, and there was now a cut on his right sleeve. A small amount of blood seeped through the green fabric. Hiccup tried to ignore it.

Astrid kept hacking at him, trying to weaken him. It was effective, pushing him backwards towards the barrels at the other end while they sparred, but Hiccup held his own. Without really thinking about it, he picked up another sword to use as defence. Both swords were the wrong balance for his skinny build, but slowly Hiccup managed to block the strikes more successfully, even adding in a few counter attacks.

Astrid grinned. "Two can play at that game."

In a flash of metal, Astrid's sword was away, and in its place a hefty battle axe. One swing later and a disarmed Hiccup smiled, defeated, as his swords clattered away from him.

"Not bad, amateur." She flicked her fringe out of her eyes and picked up the two swords. "I wonder what you could do with a balanced sword..." Her eyes caught Hiccup's fraying right sleeve, the cut there was deeper than she had expected to make.

"You could have gone easier on me!" Hiccup protested, before noticing where Astrid was staring, worried. He looked down at the blood welling up. Hiccup bit his lip. "Am I going to become an amputee?" He joked weakly.

Astrid unfroze. "Not yet. I'll take you to Rapunzel. Rapunzel!" Astrid called down the hall, dragging Hiccup and his uninjured left arm along with her. That was the thing with being the skinny new dude – since he didn’t know his way around the _Diamond_ properly yet, he was mostly dragged everywhere.

Rapunzel's clear voice drifted down the hallway from the galley, along with a delicious smell of pan-frying mackerel. It was a slow, mournful song:

_The Chief disdained the trader's dollars,_

_Way-aye, you rolling river_

_My daughter you shall never follow_

_A way - we're bound away_

_'cross the wide Mizzourye!_

 

"Rapunzel!" Astrid called again.

Rapunzel's head poked out of the galley at the end, hair intricately pinned up out of the way.

"Yeah? Make it quick - I've got stuff frying and I want to keep my eye on it!"

"We're going to need your hair." Astrid said simply. Hiccup frowned. Why would he need Rapunzel's hair?

"Oh, but I just put it up!" Rapunzel pouted. "What did you do?" Her reproachful tone reminded Hiccup of a maternal figure.

"We were just sparring." Astrid said defensively. She showed Rapunzel Hiccup's deep cut. Instead of flinching away, as Hiccup expected, she merely sighed, and undid a small section of her hair.

"Can I trust you to look after the seaweed?" Rapunzel asked. Astrid shrugged. Taking this as a yes, Rapunzel continued. "Ok then. Whatever you do, do not add anything, and if it starts spitting, take it off the heat. And Astrid - _please_ don't blow up dinner."

Ignoring Astrid's grumble, Rapunzel beckoned Hiccup to follow her. "It's easier if we do this in my cabin." she explained. "Here." She invited Hiccup into a small, but brightly decorated cabin with a chest and a hammock. Vibrant painted murals adorned every inch of space available and bright strips of cloth hung everywhere.

Rapunzel sat down on her hammock and invited Hiccup to sit next to her. "Hold out your arm," she commanded. Hiccup obeyed. "Ok. Don't – don't freak out." She proceeded to wrap some of her hair around Hiccup's injured upper arm, closed her eyes, and began to sing.

" _Flower, gleam and glow, let your powers shine –_ " Her hair started to glow from the roots, and a soothing, warm feeling enveloped Hiccup's arm. He stared at the golden aura surrounding him in wonder. "Odin above…"

" _\- bring back what once was mine, what once was mine._ " When her verse finished, Rapunzel unwrapped the hair gently from Hiccup's arm. He examined his now-healed cut and watched amazed as a small white scar faded into nothing.

"That is some gift."

"You're not…freaking out? Most people start shrieking or they faint the first time."

Hiccup rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Hello? You're talking to someone who interacts with a dragon on a daily basis. There's not much that freaks me out."

She chuckled. "Big tough guy, huh?"

Hiccup flexed his non-existent arm muscles.

A very loud and complicated expletive rang out from the galley. Rapunzel sighed. "Five minutes," she muttered, "and she can't even look after some seaweed..."

 

~~~

"Astrid tha's the third time this fortnight that you've burnt yourself over dinner, there's a reason why you're not allowed in the kitchen." Merida said over dinner, shovelling another bit of mackerel into her mouth.

At the rear end of the ship, there was a large dining-cum-meeting room that were once the officer's quarters, but as none of them held official rank titles, they had discarded the idea. The room was decorated in mismatched reds and blues, and Hiccup spotted an old, tatty tartan hiding in the corner.

"It's not my fault! Rapunzel let me in there!" Astrid retorted. They had had to abandon the seaweed patties Rapunzel had been making, so Toothless was 'experimenting' eating them on deck.

"Well at least she didn't literally blow up dinner like last time." Guy answered sagely. Astrid glared at him. It was apparently a sore subject that she was not trusted to cook. Astrid sulked in silence for the rest of the meal.

After dinner, talk then moved on to their next port of call.

"So we're here -" Guy pointed to a part of open sea around halfway between the coast of Corona and a cluster of islands identifying as the Suthen Isles. "- and with the cargo load right now we could head just about anywhere. What do you folks think?"

Jack leaned over the map, smiling conspiratorially. "I've heard there's something happening in the Suthen Isles around now – a biannual festival. Easy pickings. Also, we know how much of a gossip the Islanders are. We'd be set for weeks on all the goings-on of all 7 coasts for months."

Around the table the crew nodded. Hiccup noticed only two people were absent, on the sunset watch – Rapunzel and Eep. There were always at least 2 people watching for threats, land or ships, Jack had explained on the first evening. Given they were in one of the busiest shipping channels of the Western Ocean, Hiccup was surprised that all was quiet.

This didn’t last long though.

"Ship ahoy!" the call to arms came from the upper deck, and all 5 of them around the table scrambled to get to deck. Astrid ran to the orlop, Hiccup following. He was instructed to pick up 5 grappling lines and a quiver of arrows, while she grabbed some vicious looking handheld weapons. Then they joined the others on the deck, where in the light from the sunset Hiccup could just make out a large vessel.

"Think this'll have some good picks, guys?" Jack asked. He seemed to be getting restless, eager to scale the other vessel and scout it out. They watched it come closer over the next few minutes when Merida scowled.

"Slave ship." she muttered, lowering the spyglass from her eye. The atmosphere instantly became charged. Despite being anti-establishment in most other ways, no one on the _Diamond_ liked slave-trading.

"So what do we do?"

"We free them, that's what. No-one deserves to be in that situation." As an undertone, Merida added: "I bet it's bound from Westergard. Bloody slave traders."

Jack moved over to Merida and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll set it right, Red. I promise."

Whispered orders were passed around the 7 on deck – who would stay on the _Diamond_ , who would knock out the crew, who would free the slaves. It was agreed that Jack and Guy would take on the other vessel's crew, causing a diversion while Eep, Astrid and Hiccup went belowdecks. Any injured would be brought back on to the _Diamond_ and they would be treated by Rapunzel before the _Diamond_ reached Westergard and they let them start a new life.

The _Diamond_ drew alongside the other ship, leaning into the wind so there was as little a gap as possible. Grappling hooks were fired at the other ship, and they started the raid. Jack let out a battle cry as he leapt between the two ships, purposefully alerting the guards to him as a diversion.

Before anyone could call for backup, Jack knocked the two guards out, grabbed a set of keys from one of them and tossed them to Eep once she had swung across. The others came afterwards, and then split into groups.

Hiccup followed Eep down a flight of stairs to a dark, dank hold, crammed full with at least 100 people. Hiccup was taken aback by the squalor of the conditions and stood staring in the doorway for a second until Astrid pushed past him to free the captives.

"Don't just stand there!" she whispered urgently. She had already cut ropes from three people's wrists, and was now helping others.

Hiccup grabbed his dagger and started cutting through bonds as well.

It took around 10 minutes for them to get a quarter-way through, and by then the released were helping as well. Jack and Guy came down the stairs at this point as well, and started a headcount of anyone needing medical attention. Thankfully there was only one who desperately needed Rapunzel's help. Eep hoisted the girl in question on her shoulders, and checking that everyone was alright, the group made their exit.

As Hiccup made to leave, a grateful hand reached out and grasped around his right wrist.

"How can we ever thank you? You have saved all of us from a fate worse than death."

Hiccup smiled. "You owe us nothing. Sail safely, and good luck to you all."

 

~~~

The injured girl was taken to Rapunzel's quarters straight away, as the rest of the crew bedded down for the night. It was Merida and Jack's turn to take the night watch, so they settled themselves on the deck next to Toothless for warmth, Merida lazily turning the wheel every so often. The dragon had actually so far been a useful asset to the team, being a good fisher and helping them evade capture on that very first morning. He and Jack, despite their initial encounter, had hit it off very well, and Jack admitted that perhaps he wouldn’t mind feeling the thrill of flying again.

"So, Frost, what made you want to come back to us?" Merida was the first to make conversation.

Jack mulled over the question for a minute. "I don't really know – it was a sort of pull, like I was missing something, like I was empty inside. It didn’t feel right being away from you all. You're my family, basically."

Merida allowed a small smile to play on her lips. "Not because you missed the opportunity to pilfer and plunder your weasley guts out?" she teased.

"That might have had something to do with it," Jack smirked.

They sat in contented silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

"Gods I missed you Jack."

The faintest of whispers carried from Merida's lips to Jack's ears. He would have missed it if he didn’t have good hearing. "I missed you too Merida." _More than I'll ever care to admit_.

The next thing she did surprised him as well – she leaned into him, resting her head against his jacket. He stiffened slightly out of shock, since it was rare that she ever showed any real form of affection apart from playful punches. As he relaxed into this new and slightly intimate position, he let his hand rest on Merida's curls. They ended up staying like that for most of the night, with only quiet small talk punctuating the silence of the stars.

 

~~~

Rapunzel headed for the deck at around 4 in the morning to bring Merida and Jack something to eat and to give them news of her patient. Her patient had had an infection on her leg, probably from a long-term injury, so Rapunzel had cleaned that up while the patient was awake, then waited until she was sleeping to heal her fully. They had both then slept soundly for a few hours, until both waking up and then engaging in light conversation. She'd learned that her patient's name was Thia, and they had discussed life on the Diamond, including her crew members. When Rapunzel started talking about Jack, Thia sat up straighter at her reference to his ice-white hair.

"It can't be..." she had murmured. "Could I - I mean, is it possible to see him?" Thia made a move to get out of the hammock.

"It's fine, I'll tell him you wanted to see him. Give me a second." And so Rapunzel made her way up to the deck.

"Jack? Oh!" She spotted the captain and first mate snuggled up together, and let out an involuntary fangirl scream. This earned her a glare from both of them.

"What's up Blondie?"

Rapunzel fought to compose herself. _There's probably nothing to it, leaning on people is pretty normal, right? You're overreacting_. "I just wanted to update you on our guest. She's doing ok, healing well. And she asked after you, Jack. I don't know if you used to know a Thia?"

"No way." Jack sat bolt upright, disturbing Toothless from his sleep. There was a disgruntled huff from the dragon. Before Rapunzel could take Jack's reaction as a good or bad sign, Jack was bounding down the stairs to Rapunzel's cabin. She shrugged at Merida before following Jack belowdecks to the galley.

 

~~~

Jack took the stairs two at a time to see his old friend. "Tooth? Is that really you?" He couldn't believe it.

"You've grown, Jack." Thia laughed as Jack crouched through the doorway and leaned against the wall. "It's been - what? Three years? And you've been hiding out on a rival merchant ship all this time. What would North say?"

"That I'm uh... branching out on my own?" Jack adopted a Cossack accent and imitated their entrepreneurial mutual friend, exaggerating his movements and swaying his arms. North owned a large export business and despite all of the _Diamond_ 's misadventures they had yet to steal from _the Santoff Claussen_ or any of her sister ships. It was quite a good thing if his childhood guardians hadn't yet connected the dots on Jack's 'free-spirited' lifestyle.

"Oh, it's good to see you. I never thought our paths would cross again. How did you know to free the ship?"

"Well it's not right that anyone should be kept in that condition, so my crew and I decided to do something about it - namely put an end to the slave trade. It's grown hugely in the past few months, and none of us are sure why."

Thia's expression darkened. "I don't know much about the why, but I heard a name-drop as to where and who. We were bound north from Westerguard, that much we all knew, to be split up again and shipped off to...Dargo? Drago? I'm not sure. A madman from what I heard." She shuddered.

"Well, you and the rest are safe now. I took care of the crew members, and we're going to find out why the spike in slave trading."

"The best place I can recommend for answers is the Suthen Isles. I'm also hoping to meet up with some others over there - why don't you come along and say hi to Bunny? You haven't seen each other in a while."

Jack ran a hand through his hair and laughed nervously. The last time he'd seen E. Aster Bunnymund (commonly known as Bunny for his love of springtime) was when the _Diamond_ had been doing a raid near Warren on another one of the Suthen Isles, and he'd had to cause a diversion. Said diversion basically entailed him blowing up Bunny's pottery workshop, which, naturally didn’t go down too well with his old friend. Jack had been avoiding the little port ever since.

"It's probably best if I didn’t pop in for a chat – last time we crossed paths… well, I'm not sure if he's still mad about that time where I managed to destroy half his workshop." He'd destroyed it so many times, so it was a viable excuse. Although now Jack had to worry about Bunny spilling the beans about what Jack was actually doing on a schooner sailing around aimlessly without a proper job. The tradesman was never any good at keeping his mouth shut when he should do, which had got Jack into trouble many times over his misspent youth. _I should probably warn Merida about the security leak._

"Shame." said Thia wistfully. "We haven't seen you in such a long time. It would be nice to get all five of us together again."

"Uh huh..." Currently impossible, but nice. "Hopefully we'll be reaching Westergard tomorrow evening."

"Tomorrow evening? How long was I unconscious for? Your ship must be really fast."

"You were only unconscious for a few hours, and yep, she's probably one of the fastest schooners there is." Jack couldn’t help the hint of pride in his voice as he talked about the freedom venture.

It looked to be around dawn, judging by the rays of light filtering through Rapunzel's porthole. That meant food, and also meant Jack could sleep for a while, two things he could really do with right now. There were already sounds of movement coming from the galley and from other cabins. Once they'd all had breakfast, he and Merida would probably sleep until around midday.

The smells of cooking wafted enticingly down the hallway. "Shall I bring you breakfast in bed, ma'am?"

Thia smiled. "That would be lovely Jack. I don't know if I'm up to walking yet."

Jack bowed theatrically as he left the room.

In the galley he earned a frosty reception from Merida, with a couple of hurt glares sent his way for some reason. She marched past him, a picture of simmering fury, and Jack was left wholly confused.

"What did I do now?" He asked to no-one in particular.

"Gods above, Jack. You're bloody thick." said Eep, moving past Jack into the dining quarters.


	4. Chapter 4

Merida stayed cold towards Jack throughout next few days, but passed it off as lack of sleep. She stayed in her cabin for the rest of the journey while the rest of the crew prepared to port in Westergard. It was decided that once they had sorted the ship out, some of them should go ashore to see if they could find some information on Drago or whoever from the gossip chains that ran rife through the principal port of the archipelago.

Sunset came and they said farewell to Thia at the Westergard docklands, where she and Jack embraced, Thia kissing both of Jack's cheeks before stepping off the Diamond. Throughout the whole exchange Merida bore a very displeased expression. Not sparing any glances towards Jack, she ordered a landing party of Hiccup, Eep and herself to go ashore and explore.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel stayed on the Diamond over the course of the evening, mostly catching up with Jack on what he'd missed since he'd been gone.

Around 8pm, the landing party came back on-board. Merida made a beeline straight for her cabin again, this time dragging Jack with her. Rapunzel smiled at that, they were going to be in there for a while.

"Guess who we ran into today?" Eep swung herself over the railing and joined Guy and Rapunzel who were securing the jib. "Our very own gossip queen, Flynn Rider. Said he might have some news about the slave trade, and then refused to elaborate. The jerk."

"He's a jerk alright." A scowl passed over Rapunzel's face, marring her otherwise sweet features.

"Oh, you have history with him, don't you?" Eep asked, slightly tactlessly. She was met with another scowl.

To Rapunzel, it wasn’t a simple case of 'I have history with this person and I'd rather it stays past tense'. Despite Flynn (or Eugene? who knew?) having shown Rapunzel life outside of her tower, he'd also betrayed her to his cronies. The only good thing to have come out of meeting him, in Rapunzel's opinion, was that when she had run away from the thieves, she had run into Merida's arms and had been invited onto the Diamond.

"Perhaps you could persuade him to tell us about what's going on." And now Eep was asking Rapunzel to go see him and get some information out of him.

"Nope. Nuh-uh. I am not leaving the ship if that means I have to see that two-faced Flynn Rider again." Rapunzel spat. "I refuse. Can no one else go and seduce that toe-rag?" Rapunzel seldom used derogatory language, but perhaps it was called for in this situation.

"We're not asking you to seduce him." Guy interjected hurriedly.

Rapunzel glowered at him. "Knowing Rider, you might as well be."

"Look," said Astrid, swinging down from the rigging above them and joining the trio. "Flynn's got more information on anyone than any other person in the entire Western Seas. If he knows why there's an influx of slave trading, then we can put an end to all of this."

"And I get to be the lucky one. No thanks. Someone else do it. I refuse."

To diffuse the mounting tension, Astrid quickly added, "We've used him for information before, but there are two people that Flynn doesn’t know are part of our crew, and that's you and Hiccup. Hiccup's sort of out of the question right now, since he's new and could be a liability. We can trust you, Rapunzel."

There wasn't much that Rapunzel wouldn't do for her crew mates - her family - when it came down to it. Gathering information was something they all did. Gathering said information from Flynn Rider was another matter, but the more Rapunzel thought about it, if she was the only one who could learn what was happening, and if this was their only chance between here and Arendelle...

"Fine. I'll do it." She finally decided. "I'll get the information, but that's it."

"I think Rider's staying at the Bowsprit Inn tonight." Eep said, handing Rapunzel a hip flask of whisky. Rapunzel took a long swig before she went to disembark. She was going to need alcohol to get out through this.

Eugene Fitzherbert was indeed to be found at the Bowsprit Inn, a loud and place just off the main street that ran through Westergard. Seated at the bar, she knew it was Eugene instantly. He still looked the same as ever - perfectly trimmed goatee, effortlessly styled brown hair, all with the most relaxed posture.

She crept in as quietly and as timidly as possible, drawing both hardly any and so much attention to herself. Her pièce de résistance for this act was accidentally falling into his arms as he got up from the bar.

 "Oh-my-gosh-I-am-so-so-sorry!" She blurted at high speed, keeping as much in character as she could. Then - a pause - and a small cry of "Eugene?"

The act payed off. Eugene looked down at her, registering her features. "Rapunzel? How - what are you doing here?" He sounded so genuine. So full of hope that his princess in the tower had found him again: his new dream that never came true. At least that was what Rapunzel had hoped for. It would certainly make her job easier.

"I haven't seen you in so long!" Rapunzel exclaimed.

Eugene glanced around a bit. "Why don't we talk somewhere more private?"

After Eugene had bought Rapunzel a drink, the two sat themselves down in a booth overlooking the harbour, where they couldn't be seen by anyone else in the bar. Eugene talked of his adventures and waxed poetic about the exotic places he'd been. It was interesting, Rapunzel admitted, even if the speaker was someone she had sworn never to have contact with again.

She kept very quiet in all of this, just listening, and steering the topic hopefully ever closer to the slave trading. Finally the subject got onto seagoings, and the name Drago was dropped.

"Drago who? What's he doing?" She phrased her question to sound as innocent as possible.

"Drago Bludvist. A madman apparently, wants to take over all of the Western Seas with dragons, so I've been told."

"Gods..." Well, there was her information. Can I go now?

"I've heard," Oh wait, there was more. "that Drago has an armada just north of Arendelle... I don't know if that's true. You ok, Blondie?"

The scowl had evidently returned in full force on Rapunzel's face. Her brain meanwhile was going at a mile-a-minute: if Arendelle was conquered, trade routes around the Western Seas would be completely messed up, basically signalling an end to piracy and free rein. To hide her scowl, she took a large gulp of whatever drink Eugene had got her. The pleasant spicy tingle of rum warmed her throat, relaxing her. She was about to take another swig of the familiar liquid before remembering her company, so settled for smaller sips.

"I'm fine." Rapunzel smiled.

"That's a relief." Eugene returned the smile and reached his hand across the table to grasp hers. Rapunzel felt herself slipping under his spell. Just like all those years ago.

~~~

Hiccup emerged from his cabin to see Rapunzel disembarking from the Diamond with a determined look on her face. Astrid, Eep and Guy were discussing something heatedly near the bowsprit. Guy looked concerned.

"Do you really think it was fair to send Rapunzel to find someone that we all know she hates?" Guy was asking. "I know that she's the best covet ops we have, but perhaps you should think a little before plunging into ideas like that, Astrid."

"It's for the benefit of the crew. And, to put that into perspective, perhaps even the whole area in which we operate in. If this Drago character has enough power to organise slave ships, who knows what else they will do? You've been in that situation before, how would you like it if all the citizens of the 7 Kingdoms were under that sort of influence?"

There was a shocked pause from Guy.

"What would you have suggested instead?" Astrid challenged. "If you had a better plan, I'd have loved to hear it."

Eep put a hand on Guy's arm. "Astrid's right, Rapunzel is the best covet ops we have, and if anyone can spin a story to get the truth, it's Rapunzel."

"I still don't like it, but fine."

Eep spotted Hiccup, and, giving him a smile, left Guy and Astrid to join him. "It's your turn for evening watch, isn't it? You and Astrid?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Well, we'll leave you to it. Westergard's got some killer nightlife, so I'm going to drag this one –" she gestured to Guy," – out for the night. We probably won't be back until sometime tomorrow."

She grabbed Guy's arm and led him off the ship. Hiccup watched them walk along Westergard's marina until they disappeared into the evening throng of people.

~~~

"A storm's coming," Astrid muttered, glancing warily skywards. It was his and Astrid's turn to go on watch, to keep an eye out for harbour patrols and to wait it out for Rapunzel's return. A slightly awkward silence had fallen over the duo as they watched clouds roll in from the west. "Ready to get soaked?"

"Yeah, no thanks. Is there any way we can go under a cover?" Hiccup scoped around the deck for some sort of cloth.

"We're on a ship. If you get drenched, you get drenched." Astrid returned. There was a pause. "What do you have in mind?"

"You see that tarpaulin?" Hiccup pointed to said cloth. "If we - hmm - stretched that between the two masts and then attached it to that ring above the cabin, we should be kept dry. We just need some rope."

Astrid gave Hiccup a sly smile, before getting up and fetching a coil of rope. "Will this do?"

Hiccup nodded. "OK then, let's see if we can rig this up before the storm turns up."

 It didn't take long to get the tarpaulin set up. Astrid went to sit down in the centre while Hiccup admired their handiwork.

"Nice going, Fishbone." Astrid said approvingly as Hiccup sat down. That was a nice sentiment.

Until she socked him in the shoulder, that is.

"Hey! What was that for?" Hiccup winced, rubbing his shoulder.

Astrid laughed. "Wow, you really are a fishbone. You should work on your arm muscles."

"Excuse me, M'Lady but I'm a blacksmith. Do you see these muscles?" Hiccup pulled a face as he pretended to flex his arm muscles.

"Fish-face too." Astrid laughed, before poking her tongue out at him.

Hiccup, oh-so-mature, returned the gesture. "Hark who's talking."

"Nope, you're the fish face!" Astrid retorted.

There was a comfortable pause.

"You know, I could train you if you wanted." Astrid mused. "You could be a good swordsman if you practiced. Or swordfish."

"You just won't stop with the fish puns will you?"

Though neither had noticed it, the storm was all around them now. They were only alerted from their casual banter when there was a particularly bright bolt of lightning.

"I don't like storms." Astrid mumbled, her entire demeanour changing completely in seconds.

"Astrid -"

She kept glancing fearfully around, which wasn't like her at all.

Hiccup grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing Astrid to look away from the storm. "Astrid, look at me, and keep looking at me, alright? The storm will soon pass."

"It was stormy when I was kidnapped" Astrid was mumbling. She had tuned Hiccup out, it seemed. "That's when the dragons came, and I was outside going to fight them with Dad, and then they took me away."

A dragon raid. The only places that had regular raids were in the Barbaric Archipelago - Berk most of all. Things were starting to click into place about Astrid.

Her full name for one. Hiccup knew she was familiar. "Astrid Hofferson, you look at me right now."

Thankfully that snapped Astrid out of her reverie. Eyes wide, she asked: "How did you know my surname?"

"I remember you. You were one of the last people to get kidnapped in the raids before they set up the warning system. I knew I recognised you."

"I haven't used that surname in six summers." She was about to turn back to watch the storm.

"Keep looking at me, Astrid. Tell me about what happened after the raid."

They locked eyes. Astrid took a deep breath before speaking. "I don't know exactly where they took me. The dragons that caught me didn't follow most of the other dragons. They dropped me off at some coastline, and I eked out a living there for a few weeks or months, trying to think of a way to get back to Berk. But the longer I stayed on that island, the less I wanted to return. I had already learnt so much more by living on my own than I had learnt at home." Astrid paused.

"The only other person who knows about this is Jack. I met him perhaps two months after I was taken from Berk, when a trading ship stopped at my island to refuel, I suppose. She was a strange ship, huge, and with two massive wheels on either side. I crept on board to see if I could find some supplies, and I was caught."

"What happened next?" Hiccup prompted.

"This boy with white hair asked me if I wanted to dine with his crew." Astrid smiled at the memory. "We hit it off, Jack and I, and hey, after 5 years, we're still close friends."

There was another pause, and another bout of thunder rolled around them. Astrid didn’t seem as scared any more.

"Thanks, Hiccup."

"Any time."

"Hey, Hiccup?" Astrid asked. "What's it like, flying?"

A broad grin made its way onto Hiccup's face. "It's amazing, the freest feeling you could ever imagine. Um, did you want to perhaps try flying on Toothless sometime?"

"Me, flying? Uh –"

"He's perfectly safe, trust me."

"Yeah, but are you?"

"Ha-ha, very funny."

~~~

Rapunzel stayed chatting with Eugene for as long as she dared, knowing that she had all that she needed, she could slip away at any time. It was only as Eugene went to the bar to get their fifth round of drinks that Rapunzel slipped out of the inn's back door as quietly as possible.

It wasn't a bad night, slightly cloudy and a bit humid, but cooled by the breeze blowing in from the sea. Making her way back towards where the Diamond had made port, Rapunzel counted the constellations - the Dragon, Mother and Daughter Bear, the Hippocampus - while musing over the information she had garnered.

She returned to Hiccup and Astrid on watch, deep in conversation while taking down a tarpaulin from between the masts. Astrid gave a small wave to acknowledge Rapunzel's return, which Rapunzel reciprocated before heading down to the galley to get a snack.

After getting some biscuits from the galley, Rapunzel lit the oil lamp in her room and set up her paints. Merida's cabin was right next to Rapunzel's, and the walls between the two rooms were thin enough that one could easily hear between the two. So Rapunzel sketched to the symphonies of arguments until around one in the morning, then painted to the music of laughter from next door as her oil lamp flickered through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've really got to apologise for my appalling knowledge of ships! If you're super confused as to the terminology used, this site might help: http://www.thepirateking.com/ships/sail_rigging_info.htm


	5. Chapter 5

Hiccup was awoken at around nine the next morning, after a few hours' sleep. Despite only having been on the Diamond for a few weeks, he was easily adapting to the ship's strange sleeping patterns. Now everyone had finished the chores needed, they were all lazing about on the deck, basking in Westergard's summer sunshine.

Lounging on his stomach, paper and pencil in hand, Hiccup was sketching Toothless. Some of the ribbing on the tail was looking flimsy, so Hiccup hoped that he could stop by at a smithy to reinforce some of the ribbing sometime soon.

"Shouldn't Eep and Guy be back on board by now?" Hiccup asked absentmindedly. "They disembarked at ten last night, and it's almost eleven in the morning. Keep still, Toothless."

The dragon's tail was flicking from side to side. Much as Toothless lived for the attention (he had been getting plenty from the rest of the crew as well, and he was loving it) to his mind, Hiccup had been studying him for far too long.

"Oh, don't worry about Guy and Eep, when we're in the Suthen Isles they're never normally back from wherever they go until at least midday." Merida answered.

"Do you think they'll nab some paints from the market? I'm running a bit low on blue," said Rapunzel.

"Well it's not likely they will unless you've told them. Why don't some people go get some themselves? Hiccup hasn’t seen any plundering yet. Hands up who wants to go," said Jack.

"I love a good snatch." Astrid, sprawled comfortably across the deck, raised her hand with a smirk. "Hiccup, you're a given, I want to see what you can do."

"And Rapunzel, you're the paints expert, so why don't you three go on a stealing spree while Red and I stay here?" Jack suggested.

Astrid got to her feet. "Yeah, I'm sure you've still got more 'catching up' to do!" She made air quotes while Jack made an indignant noise in response. "Let's go guys." Making her way to the gangplank, Astrid looked back to smirk at Jack's offended expression, which Merida was chortling at.

Hiccup made to follow Astrid and Rapunzel, but not before having a dagger's hilt thrust into his grip by Rapunzel.

"Keep it hidden." She hooked some of her braided hair around her shoulder, revealing a frying pan tucked into her belt.

Hiccup nodded, tucking the dagger in his tunic belt before accompanying the two blondes into Westergard's harbour. The trio kept silent while traversing the marina, trying not to alert the guards of any disturbances. Hiccup had to wonder why, if the Diamond was so infamous, that no-one had called them out on their blood-red jib sails (although, to be fair, Merida had made sure to moor on the far side of the harbour where fewer guards patrolled).

It didn’t take long to reach the marketplace, a hubbub of colours, sounds and smells – exotic spices and vividly hued powders Hiccup had never seen before were everywhere and the wonderful scents of cinnamon and saffron evoked magnificent scenes in his mind of far-off places and unknown cultures. People were everywhere, shoving and jostling to get the best deals, speaking so many different languages that it would be impossible to count them all. So powerful was the effect on his senses that Hiccup almost stopped just to take it all in.

Instead, he was yanked away (again) from the spice stall into the shadows of a side street. Here, the stalls were less packed, but no less vibrant – gaudy fabrics and pigments of any and every colour under the sun. The Pirates clustered underneath a shadowy arch and surveyed the scene.

"Alright Rapunzel, which colours do you want?" Astrid whispered. One could barely see her lips move.

"Zaffre, ultramarine, and viridian if they have any. I'll cause a distraction." Rapunzel returned, un-braiding her hair and glancing skywards. Her eyes locked on a store sign above their heads, and a calculating look crossed her face. In a split-second, Rapunzel had swung heavenward with her hair and had disappeared from view among the rooftops. No-one down the side street had noticed a thing.

Hiccup whipped his head from where Rapunzel had just been standing to where Astrid was. "Who, where and what now?"

"Just roll with it. Stay in the shadows." She strolled up to the stall showcasing the boldest pigments and casually struck up a conversation in some foreign tongue with the flat-nosed, moody looking woman handling the stall. Whatever they were talking about easily distracted the stall holder, and the woman (who already seemed less than interested in her stall) became less and less occupied with her job, judging by the very animated expressions she was now sporting. Astrid, still talking energetically, pointed up with her hands behind her back.

Hiccup dutifully looked to the skies, to see strands of golden hair swinging down, and Rapunzel with it. She landed silently, nimbly knocking out another stallholder in the street in one kick. Rapunzel was about to take down the paint vendor, but she had forgotten the person manning the street's third stall.

Acting quickly before the man could raise the alarm, Hiccup swiped out his dagger and held it near to the merchant's neck. "One sound, buster. Make one sound and you're gone."

It was an empty threat, Hiccup wasn't prepared to follow through with that sort of thing, but it worked. The man's jaw clamped shut so fast you could hear the teeth smash together.

By now, Astrid and Rapunzel had knocked the other woman out, and taken the paints needed, as well as some fabrics from the next stall over. Rapunzel still had some of her 70ft hair hooked around the sign.

"Come on!" Rapunzel beckoned, while she gave Astrid a leg up to the rooftops.

Hiccup nodded. He let the man drop to the ground, then hit him over the head with the dagger hilt. "Sorry." He apologised to the unconscious man.

He shimmied up the hair, Rapunzel close behind. Standing on one of Westergard's gently sloping rooftops, they took in their surroundings and admired their spoils.

"These pigments are perfect!" Rapunzel beamed, opening up a little satchel and . "See Hiccup: this is viridian, it gives the most gorgeous green-blue blend, and the light one is-"

Astrid shushed Rapunzel, holding up a hand and peering down into the alley. "Someone's going to notice the empty stalls in a minute. Nice knock out, Hiccup, but we should have hidden the bodies."

"Couldn't we go back and do that?"

"No time. Look."

Already somebody had entered the street, and was looking around at the suspicious lack of movement.

"Get down!" Astrid hissed. Hiccup and Rapunzel obeyed instantly.

A shout was heard from below, followed soon after by the clomping of footsteps, then the clatter of armour. Suthen-accented shouts quickly filled the air.

Astrid flicked her fringe out of the way, then pulled her cloak hood up. "Follow me. Hurry."

Keeping low, Astrid led the trio across Westergard's rooftops. The midday sun didn't give much cover, but chimney shadows, as Rapunzel explained en-route, were easier to hide in than back alleys. Soon they had reached another, smaller square. Astrid gestured to Rapunzel silently. Rapunzel nodded, looped her hair over a conveniently-placed sign, and swung across the square, just inches above the civilians below. Once over, she let the golden rope of hair sway in the breeze, as Astrid prepared to bridge the gap. She was over in seconds.

Then it was Hiccup's turn.

_Oh Gods, let me get out of this in one piece._

He grasped the hair like a lifeline, shut his eyes tight, and launched himself off the rooftop while trying hard not to scream. Once he'd landed on the other side of the rooftop, Hiccup surveyed the skyline, trying desperately not to look down.

"Where are we going?" He gestured backwards, breathless from the adrenaline rush. "The marina's that way!"

"It's called a scenic route." Astrid explained. "Or in layman terms," hand on hip, she watched Hiccup sink to his knees, "Let's not get caught by the angry soldiers with pointy things." She kicked him gently. "Up. We need to keep moving, or we'll run out of places to hide."

Hiccup obliged, and Rapunzel handed him some of the fabrics trailing behind her.

"What are these for?" He asked, as they started moving again.

"Well, we need clothes, unless you just want to spend all your time in that tunic?" She gave a playful jibe at Hiccup's now very tattered red tunic.

Hiccup raised his hands in mock-surrender, while Astrid laughed. It really was a lovely sound, he admitted silently.

They kept moving, their silhouettes barely seen within the shadows of the chimneys.

Rapunzel glanced downwards. Below them was a quiet side street, devoid of life, save for a few nesting doves.

"Shall we head down?" Rapunzel led the way, shimmying down a clematis plant and then guiding the others around Westergard's twisting back alleys, keeping a brisk pace all the time.

Their pace slowed when they reached Westergard's highest point. They had climbed up a pretty sizeable hill, and Westergard's bay glittered invitingly far below them, the blue colour like liquid sapphire.

Rapunzel stopped, taking in a deep breath and exhaling it slowly in elation. "That was fun! Anyway, I reckon we're far enough away from the guards. Let's take a long route around, we'll be back on the Diamond in an hour."

"Whew. All of that for a bit of paint." Hiccup said, gazing down over the city.

"It's not just paint." Rapunzel replied. "This paint is high-quality - see how the powder is all so vivid? Made from white-shells. You don't get those in every market."

"All of that for a bit of high-quality paint." Hiccup corrected himself. "That was pretty fun though."

"Yeah, you get used to the secrecy, but you’ve got to admit there is a thrill in the chase, huh?" Astrid nudged Hiccup good-naturedly, smiling.

"And the views. Gods…Rapunzel, now I understand why you need so much paint. It's awe-inspiring." Hiccup gestured to the sun-kissed streets and squares. Rapunzel smiled radiantly.

The three of them stood there for a while, soaking in the sunshine, before slipping away to follow the river.

~~~

The busiest bridge of the River Tyberia is a strange thing to behold. Wester Bridge, the oldest in the city, has three distinctive arches, all decorated with grotesque animal faces and writhing plants. It is home to an ever-constant bustle, filled with jewellers, traders and conmen at all times of the day. Buildings stand pompously along the span of the bridge, and one has to wonder how on earth it was constructed.

However, Hiccup was not at Wester Bridge talk architecture. He was there, to put it frankly, to get out of Westergard.

He glanced at Astrid for guidance. She had a furrowed brow, eyes narrowed at the hectic thoroughfare.

"There's no way we'll get through that crowd without passing out from lack of oxygen." Hiccup quipped.

Astrid smirked, before her expression went back to the frown. "That is the only option though. We need to get to the other side of the river to avoid that market square. They'll be searching for us everywhere by now."

Rapunzel hummed in agreement. "It's not going to be easy to get across the rooftops either, that's for sure." The bridge had seemingly stumped her too. "Perhaps we should just hijack a boat and follow the river. What do you think, Hiccup?"

"It sounds feasible, I suppose."

Astrid considered the proposition for a second. "Alright then."

Hiccup looked along the Tyberia. There was a small rowboat moored up on the riverbank. Astrid followed his line of sight, eyes coming to rest on the vessel.

The boat was deemed perfect. Rapunzel threw her hair down to the riverbank, tied it around a rope ring and they shimmied down to the little boat.

"Quick question: how conspicuous are we now?" Hiccup asked as they set off.

Rapunzel smirked. "You'll find out if we get caught."

 

~~~

Thankfully they made it back to the Diamond in one piece without getting caught. They found Eep, Guy, Jack and Merida seated on various crates and caskets, and deep in conversation.

Rapunzel and the other two approached them.

"Hi guys," Rapunzel greeted.

A chorus of "Heys" and "Hellos" came as answer. Eep shuffled up on her box to make room for Rapunzel while Jack refused to let his body be moved from its sprawling position. As a response, Astrid shoved Jack off his perch and she and Hiccup and sat there instead.

Guy gave Jack a pointed look before turning to the newcomers. "We were just discussing the slave trade influx. Hey, did you find out anything from Flynn Rider last night?"

"Ah, yes I did. Eug - um Flynn - told me about this guy called Drago Bludvist. He's the one behind the slave trading. Flynn seemed to think that Bludvist is building an armada to take over Arendelle." Rapunzel pursed her lips. "If Arendelle is invaded, there go all the trade routes with Punjam Hy Loo and the East."

A chorus of expletives came from the others as realisation hit them.

"Chances are," Rapunzel continued, ignoring the outbursts, "that after taking over Arendelle, either everyone will submit to this new power, or else Bludvist will continue to take over all the Western Seas. And after that - who knows. Perhaps he will even take over the Eastern Empires."

Merida narrowed her eyes, then straightened to her full height, and looked them over. "Look, I know we're not a political entity – far from it – but if we don't do something, then it's not just the various Kingdoms' freedoms that are going to be taken. We're going to have to work with the Kingdoms so we don't all lose out."

It was at times like these that Rapunzel noticed how regal Merida could act. She was standing straight and tall, a proud captain.

"I feel like we should track the slave trade, find Drago's base and attack from the inside. You said he was going for Arendelle, Rapunzel? It takes perhaps two weeks to get to Arendelle from here."

"Two weeks which we might not have, by the sounds of it." Hiccup cut in, leaning forwards. "I've heard tales of Drago Bludvist where I come from. He doesn’t just build an army out of people – he has trappers, uses wild dragons as an attack force. Arendelle isn’t used to dragons, so it will fall easily if we don't get there and warn them."

"Who would listen to us though? We're pirates – outcasts – most of us haven’t even seen 30 summers!" Eep exclaimed, frantic.

"What do you suggest we do then if we can't face this threat straight away?" Guy queried.

The question was pondered for a few seconds before Hiccup spoke up again. "We start small. When we freed the slave ship we created a bond of trust with only a few of Bludvist's victims. If we create that trust with more civilians, they can in essence do our job for us and show the Kingdoms just how massive a threat they have on their hands."

"We should stop the slave trade at its roots." Astrid contributed, her hand gestures openly conveying her excitement. "Many of the people we freed were of the Suthen Isles – this is where most of the trading happens, and people get 'lost at sea' all the time in the merchant business. I'd wager that Bludvist has an outpost somewhere in this archipelago. "

"And I have to admit that the best way of finding this outpost is by air." Hiccup added. "So what if Toothless and I do a reconnaissance mission after nightfall and see whether we can find anything out of the ordinary?"

"That sounds great, but can I tag along? Safety in numbers and all that." Jack asked.

Merida nodded in answer. "I suppose that's our plan of action sorted then," she added, clasping her hands together in her lap. "Because we've got the future of all free trade resting in our hands, and we're going to have to act to keep that future safe."


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you ready for your first vigilante recon mission?" Jack asked Hiccup as they rummaged through the orlop for supplies. The light outside looked to be fading fast, but the orlop was still brightly illuminated by the oil lamp Hiccup was holding in his right hand. It flickered, making shadows dance across the walls.

There was a growing pile of equipment at Jack's feet, including two broadswords, a pile of rope, and a mace. Two pistols were the next items found: Jack checked each was loaded, and then handed one of them to Hiccup. Hiccup examined the weapon.

"I guess I'm ready, but it'll be more than simple reconnaissance if we actually find the source of the slave trading."

Jack gave a non-committal hum in response, before passing the length of rope and some grappling hooks to Hiccup as well. Hiccup had to set the oil lamp down to balance it all. Sword tucked into belt (with no sheaf), rope over one shoulder and oil lamp back in hand, Hiccup was definitely starting to feel the part.

"All set?" Jack grinned at Hiccup, making his way above-decks.

Hiccup nodded, blowing on the lamp. "I just hope Toothless' tail holds up." He muttered.

Lamp extinguished, Hiccup followed Jack up the stairs.

The dragon gave a warble of greeting to the duo as they reached him, nuzzling into Hiccup affectionately. Hiccup climbed onto Toothless first, settled himself with the equipment, and then held out an arm for Jack to help himself up with.

Jack grimaced good-naturedly as he settled himself in the saddle. "At least this time around I'll try not to scream."

"You'll be fine, but we'll go gently with you anyway." Hiccup replied.

Last-minute flight checks complete, Hiccup slotted the tailfin into position 2, and coaxed Toothless airborne. With Toothless' powerful wingbeats it didn't take long until they were at a good height above the _Diamond._ Hiccup leaned to the left, watching the _Diamond's_ red sails glinting in the last of the sunlight. To make sure Jack had proper bearings this time around they cruised smoothly for a while, admiring the changing landscape.

"Are you feeling a little more confident about flying now?" Hiccup ventured.

Jack clapped Hiccup on the back. "Uh-huh. Let's do this."

Hiccup grinned. "Ready for some speed?"

"Bring it on."

Hiccup adjusted Toothless' tail fin, and they shot off towards the east of the city, weaving through the clouds.

~~~

Night had fallen over the Port of Westergard, but the eastern harbour was still humming with evening activity. Yellow lamps flickered in the gloom, casting eerie shadows against the hulls of three or four cargo vessels in a more sheltered marina.

Flying low under cover of darkness, the trio were invisible to any onlookers. The plan was vague at best: wreak havoc and then leg it, hoping the authorities got there after they left.

Toothless landed as gently as he could in a thicket near the marina. Hiccup, being a practiced rider, climbed off Toothless with ease. Jack clambered off far less sophisticatedly. They could hear the sounds of shouts, orders and insults drifting from the cargo ships they had spotted from the air. Toothless recoiled, growling softly.

"It's ok Bud; we're going to put this right." Hiccup reassured Toothless. "Jack: what do you suggest we do?"

Jack pondered for a moment. "We've got to tell the rest of the crew about this – this operation looks far more sophisticated than I thought it would." He cursed softly, scanning the scene. "We don't have enough manpower to take them on properly. We'd need backup if we were to attack now, but even with all of the _Diamond_ 's crew we'd be completely outnumbered..."

They kept low as they crept towards the slave ships, keeping to the darkness of the thicket. Four vessels loomed, prows tall, hulls dark, lit harshly by dozens of lanterns, and the echoes of shouts became louder as Hiccup, Jack and Toothless neared. "What if they spot us now?" Hiccup whispered. "I'm just going to put it out there that a Night Fury is not the most inconspicuous of animals to travel with."

"I'm hoping that if that happens it doesn’t end in a fight, I'm worried that you need more training." Jack replied.

Hiccup couldn't help but agree. As a swordsman, he was amateur at best; and last time he tried he could barely lift an axe, let alone swing it. "Let's just hope it doesn’t come to that."

They made it to the prow of the first ship, and peered around it together. Hiccup fumbled for his spyglass and brought it to his eye.

"Great hammer of Thor…" He murmured.

It wasn’t just slave-trading. The crates they had spotted from the sky were not, as Hiccup had assumed, for supplies or weapons. They were for dragons.

Hiccup felt a surge of anger. Slave-trading was bad enough, but they were treating both people and dragons as tools, objects with nothing but a material use or a price on their heads.

His fists were clenched. He hadn’t noticed that.

Jack put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "We should get closer. We need to see what's going on fully."

"You want the full lowdown?" A new voice, gruff and accented, came from behind them. "Join them."

Hiccup felt a pain to his head.

Knees hit the floor.

Then, darkness.

 

~~~

"Jack and Hiccup should be back by now." Astrid muttered, pacing up and down the floor of the meeting room.

Merida smirked at Astrid's actions. Slouched on the re-upholstered armchair, she was definitely not as worried as Astrid was. "Quit pacing, you'll wear out the carpet." she quipped, setting her feet up onto the central table. "Jack and Hiccup will be fine. Besides, they’ve got Toothless and he'll protect them."

"The carpet's already worn out." Astrid retorted, pausing with hand on hip. "And it's been two days. Recon shouldn’t take that long! I'm surprised you're not wearing the carpet out with your own pacing!"

"You worry too much, Astrid." Merida replied. "Lighten up! I'm sure Hiccup and Jack aren't in trouble, Jack's definitely got out of worse scrapes than that!"

"True," Astrid finally conceded, perching on the other end of the table. "I remember back when he and I were still on the _Santoff Claussen_ and we'd sneak into towns and harbours – you wouldn't believe the amount of times we broke out of jails before anyone was any the wiser!"

Merida grinned. "What about the first time we met then?"

"They'll be ok, won't they Merida?" Astrid finally cracked a smile.

Merida clapped a hand over Astrid's shoulder."Psh, don't worry so much, they'll be back before you know it!"

 

~~~

"Psh, don't worry so much, we'll be back before they know it!" Jack tried again to reassure Hiccup. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep reassuring him when his own resolve was wearing thin too. It had been 4 days, and they still didn’t have a clue where they were, let alone an escape plan.

Hiccup was pacing in the cell next to him. The crew of the slave ship had separated Toothless from him and he was evidently getting increasingly worried. The only clue that they had of Toothless being alive was the conversations between guards that talked about the various feisty dragons on board (Jack did have to wonder how many there were, someone kept having pronoun troubles with one of the dragons.) It didn’t stop his crewmate's agitated pacing though.

"You'll wear a hole in the floor in a minute," Jack remarked dryly, "unless that’s your plan for getting us out of here?"

This was met with a short laugh, followed by yet another sigh. "I just don't know what's going on, Jack. This is the longest that I've been without Toothless ever since I've known him. Even if I was ill I'd sneak out and see him."

"Well, all we can do for now is to listen out. Anyway, good news is, we're definitely at sea."

"How does that help?" Hiccup paused in his pacing. "We have no clue where we are, no way of contacting the others, and no backup plan." He was pacing again.

Before Jack could attempt to comfort him, a blast of gas exploded somewhere along the corridor. This was followed by swearing from the guards as the gas drifted further down the corridor towards Jack and Hiccup. It was vivid green, carrying a horrible stench.

Jack gagged. "Smells like piss."

Hiccup wrinkled his nose in distaste and nodded. "It could be Zippleback gas though. That's going to leave those guards with a headache."

"What?"

"Zippleback – Fear class dragons, two-headed, exotic…" Hand to chin, Hiccup was looking pensively down the corridor towards the source of the gas.

"No, not the Zippleback, the headaches. What are the effects of the gas?"

"On its own it disorientates people; with a powerful enough spark it can cause a huge explosion. Why?"

Jack grinned at Hiccup, a spark of hope ignited. "I think I'm feeling the start of a plan – what we should do is –"

He was interrupted by angry shouts coming from the direction of the Zippleback. They were muffled, probably by gags, but still very loud. Jack and Hiccup darted to the front of their cells to see if they could get a look at what was happening.

Two people, bound and tied to guards, were being brought belowdecks. At the bottom of the stairs, another guard grabbed one of the two prisoners by the tunic roughly.

"Sort your bloody dragon out!"

The gag was ripped from the prisoner's mouth. The prisoner proceeded to spit in the face of the guard. "You caused our dragon distress, so it's your fault if your men got gassed!"

Jack glanced over to Hiccup, saw his eyes widening and lips parting in surprise.

"Dragon riders…" Hiccup breathed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated!! (after entirely too long, whoops. This is what you get when you decide that the best time to start writing fanfiction is during the "most important years of your life" - namely those wonderful things called E X A M S. )  
> I'm still not done with those, I've got 3 months before that's all done (and then uni, yay!)  
> But hey. Enough rambling, Ladybird! 
> 
> So, after that digression: THANK YOU ALL FOR KUDOS AND BOOKMARKS I SERIOUSLY DIDN'T THINK ANYONE WOULD WANT TO READ THIS SHIT BUT PEOPLE HAVE AND I LOVE YOU ALL XXXXXXXX (you have made a little Ladybird very very happy :D )   
> (hopefully i'll be updating a bit more quite soon, i have i d e a s :D )


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